I do cover my wood as well. The only thing I do different is that I put a pallet or a piece of plywood on top of the pile and then a tarp. I have found this to be the best method. It increase air flow at the top of the pile, lessens condensation from the tarp touching the wood, zero chance of creating puddles that may cause more problems because it is a flat surface and it makes it easier to remove the tarp. It is a little more work and more material needed but you get the best results that way, I find. Congrats on your channel, lots of very good information.
Glad I found you-I’m in NH and always burn wood and have for 40+ years…couldn’t live here without burning wood-it makes New England I think…great tips. Love your channel, am a new subscriber…thumbs up to you…
Subscribed because I enjoyed your video and after reading through the comments, I appreciate your engagement with your audience in such a kind and respectful manner. We need more of that sir! Thanks for the video.
Texoma here. I have a wood burning stove. In order of priority: - Amount of seasoning/aging - Type of species - Moisture content I cover the top of a stack... when I'm able. A wood shed is on my (7 year old) ta-do list. Beyond that, my most ragged tarps take up the wood covering duties. I got caught in the Feb. 2021 winter storm with not enough wood and was reduced driving around my land and scavenging the leavings from the county tree service that rolls through every 3-4 years. I was burning some wet, unsplit (yet aged) wood. What I took away from the experience... I can burn nearly anything... so long as my stove gets one good burn/builds up a good bed of coals AND I have good dry kindling. Really enjoy your videos. Well done.
Chris, thanks for all your great videos. I know it is very time consuming and we all appreciate the important tips you have. I have 8 cords of wood this year all split small and stacked on skids since Mar-Apr. I bought it green and age it my self. It is mostly oak with some maple and elm mixed in. Currently it is uncovered and I may cover the tops with tarps in Oct. I have a bunch of old auto tires to go on the top for weight and that seems to work well. Thanks again for all your videos and I will be eagerly awaiting your future videos.
Hi Chris. I built a couple of sheds together with the sides open all the way around, with brown metal roofing on the top. Both these sheds hold 20 cords of wood. Love your videos. God bless and stay safe.
I leave my wood uncovered during the entire season (a year for most wood and two years for oak). In October, I only cover the top of the wood I plan to use for the coming winter in order to keep it dry and snow free. When fire season is over, the tarps come off again. This also reduces the number of critters usually sheltering under the covered wood.
I cover it sometimes and other times I don't. It just depends on what kind of storm is coming my way. The best method as you have stated many times is cut, split and stack that wood! Your videos are the best and I look forward to the one on advertising. Thanks again, Chris. BTY...I like Cookie and Woodie!
Thanks for the great video! Very nice wood yard! I'd definately buy from you! Well I dont have the volume but have been burning for awhile. I always cover the tops as you do. After your video I may uncover during the summer months. Very informative content! Best Wishes......
Your evidence based observations are the best on utube on drying wood. Excellent useful information a lot of folks should find useful. Sound high quality wood sheds water like shingles as you observed so if piles are tall and narrow perhaps all the hassle with tarps is not worth the effort. Because I scrounge a lot of my wood from windfalls some of it may not be entirely sound and it acts like a sponge after every rain I have to keep it covered all the time to dry it and keep it that way. You would never sell that kind of wood but it heats fine in the shoulder seasons in my wood heater as long as it is absolutely dry.
Ronald, you are not just another pretty face, you are smart too! Your statement about the not so perfect wood is true, punky wood does burn but I don't want to sell it and it is like a sponge!
The moisture that leaves when the wood is seasoned is cellular water. Once gone, it does not come back. Rainwater might make the wood a bit harder to light, but it dries off in a few minutes and does not affect how the wood burns. I don't think it makes much difference if you cover it or not, aside from your comment about ice and snow buildup, which is annoying. Especially having to chip out a piece to burn after an ice storm. Thanks for the video, it was informative. Thanks.
There is a difference between dry wood and seasoned wood. A seasoned pile will get wet from rain, not dry but still seasoned and it will burn fine. Unseasoned wood that looks and feels dry will give you a messy, smokey fire. Terminology maybe but it matters to me!
no. ive burned alot of kiln dryed wood un seasoned and it burns just fine less smoke than good air dry. the moisture matters the most. sun does degrade the wood so it possibly may get a char going faster but dry is dry.
I'm much more aggressive with covering the wood with large tarps that prevent rain/snow from getting at the wood even from the sides. Our firewood (personal use in a woodstove that heats the house and is the primary source of heat all winter) dries for three or four years before it gets used, and it's bone dry when it gets used. Even moisture from rain/snow has a negative effect on how it burns in the woodstove. All our wood is up on pallets so not in contact with the ground at all. There's enough airflow (I tend to rig the tarps with rope as an A-frame or tent style -- not laying directly on the wood pile) that it does dry out. I don't worry about space between the piles for the most part. I have several stacks, so all the wood isn't in one place, but that's more about available space than a concern to separate it, and one stack in particular is well clumped together with little room between the stacks. But this isn't really rocket science, so I don't know that it matters too much -- you do you and that's fine.
this was very informative .... i use tin & tarps. But the comment about not letting the tarps hang to the ground to keep fungus from growing was a good tip
Chris great videos one thing that I learned from Ohio burn is the importance of having dry wood and what happens to your home and chimly after burning wet wood gotta do something like he did and present it to you the viewers really interesting he had a chimly Sweeper that had a business then his location and talked about it was really really interesting thanks lot have a good day
Good information here. I do about one tenth of the volume you do 50 to 75 facechords. I don't normally cover it because I usually sell out before the snow comes. I also sell most of my wood in the spring before it's fully dry and the purchaser is responsible for dry it the rest of the way. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
I would happen to run across this video after I purchased a fancy wood rack and a cover that completely covers the wood off Amazon. Us city boys could learn a thing or two from you rural fellas.
I have planted thousands of trees over the years on our tree farm and on the properties I have cut on. And the logger I buy a lot log truckloads from plants tens of thousands of trees every year on his 58 tree farms. Also in nature when you cut a mature tree down dozens of trees grow back in its place, it is the worlds most renewable natural resource. How many trees have you planted?
I agree 100%. This summer, in NH, it rained 22 days in June, the rest of summer was either raining or humid. If my wood wasn't covered there's no way I'd be keeping warm now that it's January. I never understood why wouldn't people cover it?
I have been around kilns in 3 different mills , one mill cranking out over 1 million board feet per shift. Kilns normally have water spray into and on lumber periodically after it reach a certain temperature, for a certain amout of time . Spray is based on a combination of temperature and humidity. Wood that gets to dry insulates so moisture is protected, by spraying in water it helps to drive a certain amount of water in to wick moisture out and also to prevent warpage. But old timers did just as you do to air dry lumber, cover it or stack out of direct rain and sun.
Good idea Chris but you need a lot of sheds. You know I used to use tarps and bungy cords, but the wind blows sometimes that it breaks the cords and the tarps are flapping in the breeze. I put up with that to long. Much better now. Your right on how to dry wood. God bless and stay safe.
Chris-as a small scale wood home heater-I cover all my wood. I have determined that it’s worth the extra 3-4 bucks to buy the black/silver tarps vs the cheap blue tarps. Triple the life expectancy.
A store used a stove for heat and it was built to burn saw dust. It had a fan and tube system to blow the saw dust apart to keep it burning. The lady that used said with this system it would light and burn anything. It had two fans one for the tube system and one to disperse the heat.
Both my parents have a shed and any extra is covered only on top with a tarp. We have stacked up slab wood not covered and even after a couple of months was very dry because it’s relatively thin and even with snow on it was still fine to burn, just knock the ice and snow off before you bring it inside where it melts and makes the surface wet again.
Chris, I cover my wood from Nov 1st to sometime in March. We live in New Hampshire and I don’t want snow sitting on the wood for months at a time. I just cover my round 3 cord piles with a tarp on top. The straight 1 cord piles have roofing shingles over the top held with bricks. All wood sits 2 summer before it gets burned.
Moved into my house about 5 yrs ago. Huge tree fell about a year in. Bucked it up and split said tree. Stacked it all off the ground. Used cardboard on top only cause it's what I had a ton of from purchases that I made for various crap for the house. After 9 to 12 mos cardboard would start to get a little ragged looking, so I'd pull it off, burn it in the firepit. I'd just replace it with new cardboard. Wood has no rot, burns great. I was surprised at how quick the moisture levels got down below 20%.
Hey, Chris! I'm commenting through my father's YT account, so I'm not 'Mike' haha... Here's what I've considered for my firewood: building lean-to roofs/shed roofs in permanent places where I intend to stack wood each year and building moveable framed covers for the stand alone wood rows and stacks-- now here's the kicker-- I plan on using translucent currugated poly roofing. A hard, transparent roof keeps bulkwater off and lets the sunlight radiate onto the wood. Anything to keep bulkwater off is a plus! Maybe some guys don't *see* a problem with rain getting on it once in a while, but it already takes a long time for wood to get down to an appropriate moisture content even with cover. The other thing is I split boiler wood 22-24" long and mostly 6-8" wide, so it doesn't dry quite as easily as a piece 16"L x 4"W. Thanks for the rundown of how you do it and why, much appreciated! ~Tad in PA.
Tad, son of Mr. mountain, that sounds like a very good plan. I thought that the translucent corrugated roofing would be great for a wood shed! Ya, that big stuff does take longer to dry! Leave space between your rows too, good luck!
Chris, I cover my wood with old metal roofing. This works well except for very windy days. I think it makes sense to keep the water and snow off of it.
I have covered the wood stacks and I have also had many that I didn't. I live in Kansas where we don't get the snows that you do. I can not tell the difference when I sell them. The advantage to me is when you go to load it the covered wood is much more clean and easier to handle. If I do cover I also use clear plastic sheeting.
I do cover because I stack tight and in double rows. I'll still get a little sheet fungus growing between the stacked pieces here and there but just on some red oak usually that still has bark that was partially decayed before it was stacked. I just cover for winter snow and to keep the center between the two rows dry. If I had the room for single rows and didn't OCD on tight neat stacks I don't think there's a need to cover; except when the firewood is getting close to it's best if used by date, and one wants to keep presentation quality high instead of having to explain it's just wet from rain and if placed under cover, it will be dry and perfect again in a few days. I remember it was just starting to rain once and predicted to go on all night so I loaded in a light shower and put it in the shed overnight. That got the askance look or two and at least a couple explanations during delivery the next day!
I have a open sided shed for twenty fcs mainly for oak that I burn. The rest is stacked in the woods since most of my 2 acres is wooded. I do tarp during winter only.
Hey Chris. I meant to say something on your last covering video. Check your local lumberyards for lumber covers. Most of them end up in a dumpster. I get them at my local yard for $1 each. They hold up very well to the weather.
I have begun leaving my stacks uncovered for 9 months, waiting until I get three or four days of dry weather, then covering with tin. I’ll know for sure this winter when I get into a stack and test the moisture, but I think you utube guys have taught me that the best way to dry is to give the wood to the elements and then cover.
One should cover after the wood has spent time in the elements of sun and wind. I have wood that’s three years old that looks as good and sounds as nice as the year old sticks. I make sure my wood is off the ground on pallets then cover with old roofing tin weighed down by fatwood stumps.
Hey Chris, we are in the South Island of New Zealand (East coast--the dry side). I like to leave our wood uncovered through till about mid autumn and then put a tarp or polythene cover, similar to what you do. I am one of those who thinks that some rain during seasoning is actually beneficial to the drying process. (This might be related to species. We mostly have "old man pine" here.) Roofing iron is very dangerous here because we get very strong winds. They will take off and slice someone in two. BTW, I also like to stack off the ground on pallets, same as you. Great video, thanks.
@@InTheWoodyard Tip to hold down roffing iron from switzrland. every 50cm or so (lengtwise) put a longer stick that sticks out 20-30 cm front and back on the bottom layer, then stack up on top of it. Once the stack is complete, throw your roofin iron over it, drill a few holes near the edges (not to near) then rig some wire through the hole, from there all the way down, and wrapped around the edges of the protruding sticks, front and back. As the wood pile diminishes, adapt the lenght of wire, you can also remove it during summer, it's very sturdy and doesn't fly off even in mountain storms, it's the wheight of the whole woodpile holding the roof down, even a knee high wood pile is over 100kg, way more than enough as anchorage
I use e.p.d.m. a synthetic rubber from commercial reroof job cast offs. It is free and will last a lifetime. Also it would only end up in a landfill. No sharp edge to cut one either. It heats up in the sun so probably aids in convection too. One can size it with a pair of scissors or glue pieces together to get the size needed.
Holy buckets, 550 face cords in your yard! 14 full cords in our yard at the moment, between halloween & thanksgiving we usually go w corrugated sheet metal to keep the snow off, otherwise it’s uncovered most of the year. Keep the splits small and it dries pretty well uncovered, IMO.
Home owner cutting my own wood. I’m tarping BUTT WRONG Completely covering w plastic tarps in my diy wooden storage frames. I will now get a heavy clear roll of plastic. Then cut my own to size just covering top. Great video Thanks
This year i stacked 5 full cord of wood under my carport, it gets sunlight on the sides and plenty of air flow all around. I also stacked about 8 face cord next to the carport which i will cover on top. I stack the wood on pallets then place pallets on top of the stacks, place flat boards on the pallets then cover that with tarps and place old tires on top to hold the tarps in place. The tarps keep rain and snow off the wood and the pallets on top allow air flow across the top of the wood. Its not pretty but it works.
I leave my wood uncovered in the summer time to season faster I only cover what wood I will be burning in the winter time so it will stay dry. I also bring wood inside my garage by my wood furnace so it can worm up and make sure it gets s dry I get better heat results with dry firewood and it seem to burn a little slower.
Hi Chris!!😀😀 Most of the time I haven't covered my wood and I usually don't have the moisture soak in. Last week I came across a large used tarp and it leaked through and froze my pile all the way to the bottom. It seems like if I don't cover it. After it rains with in a couple days the rain water will evaporate off and dosen't soak in. With the tarp that leaked last year it seemed to let the water in but never let it evaporate out. I had more trouble last year with the wood being frozen together than any other year when I didn't cover it at all. Take care my friend!!😀 TTYL!!
I'm so glad I came across you on CZcams. Your so informative and know so much about firewood. I burn wood as a primary heat source and just bought my first new saw and have many places around me here in Kentucky that I can cut firewood from where loggers have logged the mountains. My question is can I cut this year's green wood and store it or somehow get it seasoned enough to burn this winter, good enough to put out good heat? I'm now subscribed and watching as many of your videos as I can cause I'm learning something from everyone I've watched so far. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I know it takes time and effort to make these but from what I'm seeing your not afraid of a little hard work.
Thanks so much Denton! If I was you I would try to cut trees that have been dead and or down for a while and then split them down small so they can dry as fast as possible. Think wrist size or maybe even limb wood ...splitting and stacking in a sunny open area is key , no shade. Good luck!
@@InTheWoodyard yea the wood I cut is mostly tops of trees that's been logged and left behind. Our hills are full of them, just gotta ask permission from land owner and once that's approved it's free wood, mainly hardwood and been on the ground at least a year or even longer. Most of it is good sized wood but alot of round wood too that doesn't need busted 😁
When I stack my wood into the woodshed in spring it is down to 8-10% moisture by the fall . Now at the woodlot where I stack my extra wood ,I only cover the tops off the ground on pallets
What kind of wood and is it green when you cut and split it and where do you live, all of those things are factors to the speed of drying. Thanks for watching David!
I live in eastern Ontario Canada,, we burn oak, ash,elm,popular,maple, beach. We are giving the fresh cut trees but I have so mush it usually takes me a couple years before I get around to splitting it. Right now I am doing wood from a tree cut in late November 2019
I cover just the top with recycleed rubber roof cut 24"x 10' strips the stuff is great and I can just roll it up set it a side till I need to use it again
I like to cure my stovewood for 2 yr, or at least, 2 summers. I have a wood storage shed where my split wood is stored for the 2 years. It has one east facing open side and a 1" gap between the vertical side boards on the other three sides. But now, I'm wondering if storing the wood completely outside and exposed to the elements and the sun might be even better?! I have already split my wood for burning in two years and have stacked it up outside, fully exposed. I have a storage area inside the house where I move the wood to in the autumn. I think with this wood, I'll bring it inside a little earlier, perhaps the end of August, to allow for all the superficial moisture to evaporate before burning. I'm excited to see how this pile of red oak will burn at that point. ALWAYS LOOKING FOR BETTER OR MORE EFFICACIOUS WAYS OF GETTING THE JOB DONE!
I haven't covered my wood in years I use the natural bark to cover it I flip all my cuts bark down all the way up too the last two or three rows on top I face the bark up the bark on top works as a water barrier and the rain rolls off I live north of you so if it works here it will work there
Same as you, I kid you not.😁 Lumber yard tarps cut to size, weighted with junks and best of all, they’re free. Also, like you, the tarps are only used for the winter months. Have thought about building a nice wood shelter, thinking it would look better. However, sheltering 12 cords in one block is not ideal for seasoning.
8' x 16' crib. galvanized sloped roof. No walls. I heat with firewood and have my own home depot splitter and neighboring forest. I used to open-air. But it just boiled in the wood stove for a while. Always damp. Now this stuff is absolutely bone dry, single piece of cardboard will light it. It also seasons for 2 years give or take.
I have heard that if your plastic or tarp is flat down on your wood pile the moisture condensates on the bottom of the plastic and drips back down into your wood pile they say leave a space at the top .
Yes, I would agree with that, if your wood is fresh cut green wood, I don't cover my wood for many months to allow as much sun and wind to hit it as possible. My wood at the time of covering is probably 70-90% dry already.The main reason I cover it is to keep the snow off.
It’s definitely best to keep it dry. Most airflow is key for sure. A lot of people don’t know that. If you have the crown of the word facing towards the sky, the water won’t penetrate to the center. But if the opposite side is up, it will hold water. imagine it like a drinking glass works similar.
@@tiptopgirl4124 look at the end of the piece of Splitwood. You will see the rings the rounded part should be facing towards the sky. That way the outer most part of the tree wood works similar to a roof shedding water. Or imagine the tree ring like the St. Louis arch.
@@tiptopgirl4124 when the tree is cut, it exposes the rings. After you split it turns the rings into arches. in order to keep the wood dry and keep it from holding water stacking with the arch center facing up. Similar to the St. Louis arch or McDonald’s. same thing with building any wooden structure outside. If you look at the end of the board, you will see the rings of the tree. If you do not place with the correct side, facing up, it will be more likely to hold water, bend, warp, and twist..
The two times I covered my firewood (thinking it was a good idea), I had red squirrels move in underneath. They built nests and stogged all the nooks and crannies full of pine cones, making a helluva dusty mess...open air works fine.
good call, by then the squirrels would be settled in somewhere else for the winter...but that would only work if the wood was being seasoned for one year only, or otherwise the cover would have to be removed in the spring and 'til the following late fall.
I do not cover my wood in the stack where it is drying. It is in a wide-open location exposed to the Kansas wind and sun. The stack by the house that I pull to burn from I cover when it snows so that it is not a frozen block of snow and ice. But as soon as it stops snowing and drifting, I remove the tarp. Wind and Sunshine we have lots of here, and wood dries fast under those conditions.
I learned the hard way with my first small stack of wood. Covered it completely with a tarp and 7 months later the entire thing is caked in green mold. Currently building a ventilated wood shed, but now I'm wondering if it's worth the effort to keep the elements (except wind) away from the logs).
And I thought 175 was alot I have some green house plastic 5 years old still like new . The plastic gives it greenhouse effect and dries faster also have lots of tin
Frozen wood is not a bad thing. Water expands and does its thing in the seasoning process. A big creaking wood stack from water expanding in the splits really helps dry that wood out from the inside out.
If ur selling it in winter months probably good idea but if just for an outside boiler and just letting it season probably don't have to is my thought. If inside stove probably good idea also so dries faster when brought in
I just started doing wood in the beginning of this year and have noticed that wood that was uncovered for 6 months since March is completely Seasond and dry and ready to burn.
Great video!!! Learn a lot from your video indeed.... I have a question.. why does my wood keep having ants termites as I'm trying to let it season for a year or for a season ???
Make sure it is off the ground and on pallets, maybe 2 layers, and in the sun as much as possible , wind and sun will help. If you cover it before it dries it can rot too.
one wood is below its grain saturation point it is hard for it to get wet agen. thats why after a rain, only the outside of wood is wet inside is dry. as wood drys the grain cells shrink and below 30 percent they cant expand agen they permanently have shrunk. Wi has generally 2 humidity lvs in dryed wood summer its around 15 to 17 percent equal Librium and winter ive seen it down to 9 percent. due to our low winter humidity. another good video tho. i myself dont tarp till fall. cuz yes breaking a frozen log pile apart sucks.
I'm new to wood burning. Only very recently installed a wood stove and im trying to get ready for my first winter this coming year. Could an argument be made that it would be best to leave it uncovered through the summer and then cover it about a month before you intend to burn it? Kind of the best of both worlds?
I store my wood in a covered carport (like they sell on the side of the road), because I have the space and more importantly, the ground under there stays dry. We only get snow 2-3 times a year and it rarely stays around long, so no problem there. From what I have read, wood like oak that dries slowly also is the most resistant to absorbing water. The only wood I have uncovered is my emergency wood that is about a face cord that I keep near the house in case of snow. It is always oak that has been seasoned for at least two years and it is always dry except the very edges like you showed. I see a great deal of people in the South that never cover their wood, but then many of those folks are fairly poor and tarps are all being used to keep the roof from leaking. Just kidding, I thought yo might enjoy a little self-deprecating Southern humor.
HA! Sounds a lot like the UP of Michigan! As far as wicking moisture from the ground white oak and it's family like burr oak do not wick moisture much at all that's why it was used in ship building for wooden boats back in the old days. Red oak an it's family wick moisture tremendously!
I have 8 face chords, 1 of which i keep tarped just over the top whenever there is 50% chance of rain. So i do remove the tarp otherwise. The rest are not covered. All hardwoods. I have limited sunshine exposure here, I'm mostly wooded with two face chords getting about 6 hrs sunshine per day if/when the sun shines.
I dry hardwood in open shelter,but here in Ireland,heavy driving rain almost always hits bottom of my stack,about a metre high.Is this a problem at seasoning firewood?
I stack my firewood in racks under my covered porch on the back side of the house, one line down the the outside on the concrete between the support posts that are spaced 8 feet apart. Then in racks under the eve of the porch on racks. Because rain can blow in under the eves, I cover that row with some camo tarps. Keeps my neighbors from knowing how much firewood I have on hand. The porch is 40' long by 12' wide. Still plenty of room for my work cabinets, chainsaw storage, electric wood splitter, manual 10 ton splitter, and parking for my motorscooter. I like to store two full 40' runs as I will go through 1 run on a normal winter, so I always have a green run and a dry run! I furnish a wood heater in our basement and usually only run it continuously for a couple of weeks during the winter. On marginal days we only feed it at night, just to keep the chill off the basement. Have been doing this for 40 years now. But it took around 25 years work into the system I have now. It works well for me. I got a 5 acre woodlot and mostly cut dead or dying trees. But now am getting too old to do all that cutting and hauling...thank goodness I got some rebate money so I bought a couple of cords this year...already split...just need to stack it! Best of luck to you!
Wood will stil dry in the winter because of low humidity sucking out moisture even if it is frozen. Ice cubes left for a few months in the freezer will shrink from loss of moisture.
Hey Chris thanks for the video. What would you suggest if the only place I have to stack wood is in a low lying area which would get some sun and with minimal wind? I'd like your opinion. Thank you.
The best place for wood to dry is in the open on a hill so the sun and wind can hit it. But if you only have a low area, be sure to get it off the ground as much as you can. Maybe double pallets... that is what I would do and stack it as high as you can to catch any wind too! Good luck Chet!
Wood needs to breath a little rain will not hurt it and as long as it is off the ground on pallets it should dry fast and stay dry. I only cover the top before the snow comes.
Hi Chris, Maybe I'm losing it, but if you look at frame 2:18 of this video, right in the middle of the screen there is a tiny figure in the middle of the shot looking up to where you are pointing. The image appears to be wearing a bonnet. I used to be a professional video editor. We notice everything on the screen. I tend to offer critique of movies in real time. Irritates my wife to no end! LOL ;-)) shalom/gw
I'm going to do a video about it soon. But you can go to craigslist Appleton-Fox valley and see it live now it's under firewood and is on the fourth row and the title says- Oak Firewood - FREE Local Delivery.
All that split wood sure is straight.. Mine's all crooked and knotted. I have Sugar Maple and Black Locust. My Walnut & American beech is split straight. Mine is uncovered along a chain link fence pointing West and East.. I'll cover it with a cheap blue tarp come fall. Last year I didn't have that much and I put it in a metal shed.
I do cover my wood as well. The only thing I do different is that I put a pallet or a piece of plywood on top of the pile and then a tarp. I have found this to be the best method. It increase air flow at the top of the pile, lessens condensation from the tarp touching the wood, zero chance of creating puddles that may cause more problems because it is a flat surface and it makes it easier to remove the tarp. It is a little more work and more material needed but you get the best results that way, I find. Congrats on your channel, lots of very good information.
Thanks Alain, good idea!
the advantage of a tarp vs plastic sheeting is that the tarps have grommets that you can use to tie it down easily.
Glad I found you-I’m in NH and always burn wood and have for 40+ years…couldn’t live here without burning wood-it makes New England I think…great tips. Love your channel, am a new subscriber…thumbs up to you…
That is awesome! Thanks!
My god you did some nice work ! Most people who sell fire wood just have big heap from the conveyor . Nobody stacks firewood .
Thanks David!
Subscribed because I enjoyed your video and after reading through the comments, I appreciate your engagement with your audience in such a kind and respectful manner. We need more of that sir! Thanks for the video.
Thanks so much for the kind words Brandon, I appreciate it!
Lovely wood yard ❤️ well done!
Thank you! 😊
I used to cover my wood... But then I had a vasectomy, and I don't bother anymore...😂🇦🇺
Ya, heard that one before! It's a good one!
Lol good one
Great information Chris ! Thanks for sharing the knowledge. I have all my wood (5years worth) covered with black rubber roofing.
My brother uses some of that for his piles too.
Texoma here. I have a wood burning stove.
In order of priority:
- Amount of seasoning/aging
- Type of species
- Moisture content
I cover the top of a stack... when I'm able. A wood shed is on my (7 year old) ta-do list. Beyond that, my most ragged tarps take up the wood covering duties.
I got caught in the Feb. 2021 winter storm with not enough wood and was reduced driving around my land and scavenging the leavings from the county tree service that rolls through every 3-4 years. I was burning some wet, unsplit (yet aged) wood. What I took away from the experience... I can burn nearly anything... so long as my stove gets one good burn/builds up a good bed of coals AND I have good dry kindling.
Really enjoy your videos. Well done.
Thanks a bunch for watching!
Chris, thanks for all your great videos. I know it is very time consuming and we all appreciate the important tips you have. I have 8 cords of wood this year all split small and stacked on skids since Mar-Apr. I bought it green and age it my self. It is mostly oak with some maple and elm mixed in. Currently it is uncovered and I may cover the tops with tarps in Oct. I have a bunch of old auto tires to go on the top for weight and that seems to work well. Thanks again for all your videos and I will be eagerly awaiting your future videos.
Thanks Robert, there is a new video EVERY morning at 5:30 am CDT and 800 others on my channel just for you!
Great information, thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Great informative video...keep it up!!
Thanks, will do! Come on back anytime!
Hi Chris. I built a couple of sheds together with the sides open all the way around, with brown metal roofing on the top. Both these sheds hold 20 cords of wood. Love your videos. God bless and stay safe.
So, now would be a good time for you to come over and build me some sheds now that you know how to do it! HA! Thanks for watching Gary!
I leave my wood uncovered during the entire season (a year for most wood and two years for oak). In October, I only cover the top of the wood I plan to use for the coming winter in order to keep it dry and snow free. When fire season is over, the tarps come off again. This also reduces the number of critters usually sheltering under the covered wood.
Sounds great, that is a good system you have!
Good info Chris!
Glad you think so!
I cover it sometimes and other times I don't. It just depends on what kind of storm is coming my way. The best method as you have stated many times is cut, split and stack that wood! Your videos are the best and I look forward to the one on advertising. Thanks again, Chris. BTY...I like Cookie and Woodie!
Thanks for the comment and watching Bryan!
Thanks for the great video! Very nice wood yard! I'd definately buy from you! Well I dont have the volume but have been burning for awhile. I always cover the tops as you do. After your video I may uncover during the summer months. Very informative content! Best Wishes......
Thanks for watching Bob!
Your evidence based observations are the best on utube on drying wood. Excellent useful information a lot of folks should find useful. Sound high quality wood sheds water like shingles as you observed so if piles are tall and narrow perhaps all the hassle with tarps is not worth the effort. Because I scrounge a lot of my wood from windfalls some of it may not be entirely sound and it acts like a sponge after every rain I have to keep it covered all the time to dry it and keep it that way. You would never sell that kind of wood but it heats fine in the shoulder seasons in my wood heater as long as it is absolutely dry.
Ronald, you are not just another pretty face, you are smart too! Your statement about the not so perfect wood is true, punky wood does burn but I don't want to sell it and it is like a sponge!
The moisture that leaves when the wood is seasoned is cellular water. Once gone, it does not come back. Rainwater might make the wood a bit harder to light, but it dries off in a few minutes and does not affect how the wood burns. I don't think it makes much difference if you cover it or not, aside from your comment about ice and snow buildup, which is annoying. Especially having to chip out a piece to burn after an ice storm. Thanks for the video, it was informative. Thanks.
Thanks Ian, you are correct, the rain moisture dries fast!
There is a difference between dry wood and seasoned wood. A seasoned pile will get wet from rain, not dry but still seasoned and it will burn fine. Unseasoned wood that looks and feels dry will give you a messy, smokey fire. Terminology maybe but it matters to me!
You stated that perfectly and agree! Next time I will get it correct! Thanks!
Thanks guys. I'm taking the tarp off tonight. That makes perfect sense. My wood has been burning smokey because it hasn't been properly seasoned
no. ive burned alot of kiln dryed wood un seasoned and it burns just fine less smoke than good air dry. the moisture matters the most. sun does degrade the wood so it possibly may get a char going faster but dry is dry.
I'm much more aggressive with covering the wood with large tarps that prevent rain/snow from getting at the wood even from the sides. Our firewood (personal use in a woodstove that heats the house and is the primary source of heat all winter) dries for three or four years before it gets used, and it's bone dry when it gets used. Even moisture from rain/snow has a negative effect on how it burns in the woodstove. All our wood is up on pallets so not in contact with the ground at all. There's enough airflow (I tend to rig the tarps with rope as an A-frame or tent style -- not laying directly on the wood pile) that it does dry out. I don't worry about space between the piles for the most part. I have several stacks, so all the wood isn't in one place, but that's more about available space than a concern to separate it, and one stack in particular is well clumped together with little room between the stacks. But this isn't really rocket science, so I don't know that it matters too much -- you do you and that's fine.
Sounds like you have a good system!
this was very informative .... i use tin & tarps. But the comment about not letting the tarps hang to the ground to keep fungus from growing was a good tip
Thanks for watching Rob!
Chris great videos one thing that I learned from Ohio burn is the importance of having dry wood and what happens to your home and chimly after burning wet wood gotta do something like he did and present it to you the viewers really interesting he had a chimly Sweeper that had a business then his location and talked about it was really really interesting thanks lot have a good day
Yes I saw his video, it was a good one.
Good information here. I do about one tenth of the volume you do 50 to 75 facechords. I don't normally cover it because I usually sell out before the snow comes. I also sell most of my wood in the spring before it's fully dry and the purchaser is responsible for dry it the rest of the way. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Thanks, keep cuttin!
I would happen to run across this video after I purchased a fancy wood rack and a cover that completely covers the wood off Amazon. Us city boys could learn a thing or two from you rural fellas.
Thanks for watching Mark, there are over 700 videos on my channel for you to learn from!
Good info.
Thanks!
Great info and ideas. Here in East Tx, I don't cover but I do stack. I don't like leaving stacks of piles of wood laying around.
Right on!
I hope you are growing trees to support all the trees you are burning. Interesting video. Thank you
I have planted thousands of trees over the years on our tree farm and on the properties I have cut on. And the logger I buy a lot log truckloads from plants tens of thousands of trees every year on his 58 tree farms. Also in nature when you cut a mature tree down dozens of trees grow back in its place, it is the worlds most renewable natural resource. How many trees have you planted?
I agree 100%. This summer, in NH, it rained 22 days in June, the rest of summer was either raining or humid. If my wood wasn't covered there's no way I'd be keeping warm now that it's January. I never understood why wouldn't people cover it?
I now leave my wood uncovered on pallets for 6-8 months in a wide open field and it dries great, but before snow I like to cover it.
I have been around kilns in 3 different mills , one mill cranking out over 1 million board feet per shift. Kilns normally have water spray into and on lumber periodically after it reach a certain temperature, for a certain amout of time . Spray is based on a combination of temperature and humidity. Wood that gets to dry insulates so moisture is protected, by spraying in water it helps to drive a certain amount of water in to wick moisture out and also to prevent warpage. But old timers did just as you do to air dry lumber, cover it or stack out of direct rain and sun.
Thanks again for the info Ed, I learn a lot for guys like you on the comments!
Good idea Chris but you need a lot of sheds. You know I used to use tarps and bungy cords, but the wind blows sometimes that it breaks the cords and the tarps are flapping in the breeze. I put up with that to long. Much better now. Your right on how to dry wood. God bless and stay safe.
Very true! Thanks for watching Gary!
Chris-as a small scale wood home heater-I cover all my wood. I have determined that it’s worth the extra 3-4 bucks to buy the black/silver tarps vs the cheap blue tarps. Triple the life expectancy.
okay!
You have a very impressive amount of wood! Now I need to hunt down one of your videos on how to tell what type of wood you have! Ie: oak, elm, etc
Go for it! I have a lot of videos about wood types. But it is mostly oak!
A store used a stove for heat and it was built to burn saw dust. It had a fan and tube system to blow the saw dust apart to keep it burning. The lady that used said with this system it would light and burn anything. It had two fans one for the tube system and one to disperse the heat.
nice!
Both my parents have a shed and any extra is covered only on top with a tarp. We have stacked up slab wood not covered and even after a couple of months was very dry because it’s relatively thin and even with snow on it was still fine to burn, just knock the ice and snow off before you bring it inside where it melts and makes the surface wet again.
Yup!
Chris, I cover my wood from Nov 1st to sometime in March. We live in New Hampshire and I don’t want snow sitting on the wood for months at a time. I just cover my round 3 cord piles with a tarp on top. The straight 1 cord piles have roofing shingles over the top held with bricks. All wood sits 2 summer before it gets burned.
Sounds like a good plan!
Moved into my house about 5 yrs ago. Huge tree fell about a year in. Bucked it up and split said tree. Stacked it all off the ground. Used cardboard on top only cause it's what I had a ton of from purchases that I made for various crap for the house. After 9 to 12 mos cardboard would start to get a little ragged looking, so I'd pull it off, burn it in the firepit. I'd just replace it with new cardboard. Wood has no rot, burns great. I was surprised at how quick the moisture levels got down below 20%.
Yup, sounds good.
Hey, Chris! I'm commenting through my father's YT account, so I'm not 'Mike' haha... Here's what I've considered for my firewood: building lean-to roofs/shed roofs in permanent places where I intend to stack wood each year and building moveable framed covers for the stand alone wood rows and stacks-- now here's the kicker-- I plan on using translucent currugated poly roofing. A hard, transparent roof keeps bulkwater off and lets the sunlight radiate onto the wood. Anything to keep bulkwater off is a plus! Maybe some guys don't *see* a problem with rain getting on it once in a while, but it already takes a long time for wood to get down to an appropriate moisture content even with cover. The other thing is I split boiler wood 22-24" long and mostly 6-8" wide, so it doesn't dry quite as easily as a piece 16"L x 4"W. Thanks for the rundown of how you do it and why, much appreciated! ~Tad in PA.
Tad, son of Mr. mountain, that sounds like a very good plan. I thought that the translucent corrugated roofing would be great for a wood shed! Ya, that big stuff does take longer to dry! Leave space between your rows too, good luck!
@@InTheWoodyard Thanks for the reply, Chris. And yes, I typically leave a hand width between the rows.
Chris,
I cover my wood with old metal roofing. This works well except for very windy days. I think it makes sense to keep the water and snow off of it.
Yup, good idea!
Nail it on. It works.
I have covered the wood stacks and I have also had many that I didn't. I live in Kansas where we don't get the snows that you do. I can not tell the difference when I sell them. The advantage to me is when you go to load it the covered wood is much more clean and easier to handle. If I do cover I also use clear plastic sheeting.
I would agree with all of that!
😊Thanks
Thank you too for watching!
I do cover because I stack tight and in double rows. I'll still get a little sheet fungus growing between the stacked pieces here and there but just on some red oak usually that still has bark that was partially decayed before it was stacked. I just cover for winter snow and to keep the center between the two rows dry. If I had the room for single rows and didn't OCD on tight neat stacks I don't think there's a need to cover; except when the firewood is getting close to it's best if used by date, and one wants to keep presentation quality high instead of having to explain it's just wet from rain and if placed under cover, it will be dry and perfect again in a few days. I remember it was just starting to rain once and predicted to go on all night so I loaded in a light shower and put it in the shed overnight. That got the askance look or two and at least a couple explanations during delivery the next day!
Yup, oak does get moldy when wet, a little OCD is good in the wood yard it keeps you organized!
I have a open sided shed for twenty fcs mainly for oak that I burn. The rest is stacked in the woods since most of my 2 acres is wooded. I do tarp during winter only.
That sounds good to me, thanks for watching!
Yes I cover mine, I’m new to all of this, I have wood for a fire pit. I probably don’t have to but why not I guess is my thought process.
Covering is fine as long as it is only the top not the sides, it has to breath to dry. Thanks for watching Mr. Marathon!
Thanks for video
Thanks for watching, I like your name! Cool!
Hey Chris. I meant to say something on your last covering video. Check your local lumberyards for lumber covers. Most of them end up in a dumpster. I get them at my local yard for $1 each. They hold up very well to the weather.
I will check it out, thanks for the tip!
Thanks Todd 👍🏽
I have begun leaving my stacks uncovered for 9 months, waiting until I get three or four days of dry weather, then covering with tin. I’ll know for sure this winter when I get into a stack and test the moisture, but I think you utube guys have taught me that the best way to dry is to give the wood to the elements and then cover.
Yup, that is the way! Thanks fro watching!
Hey Mott, any findings? should one cover or not, based on your test.
One should cover after the wood has spent time in the elements of sun and wind. I have wood that’s three years old that looks as good and sounds as nice as the year old sticks. I make sure my wood is off the ground on pallets then cover with old roofing tin weighed down by fatwood stumps.
Hey Chris, we are in the South Island of New Zealand (East coast--the dry side). I like to leave our wood uncovered through till about mid autumn and then put a tarp or polythene cover, similar to what you do. I am one of those who thinks that some rain during seasoning is actually beneficial to the drying process. (This might be related to species. We mostly have "old man pine" here.) Roofing iron is very dangerous here because we get very strong winds. They will take off and slice someone in two. BTW, I also like to stack off the ground on pallets, same as you. Great video, thanks.
Thanks Tom, I guess that means we are both smart or maybe not, HA! Thanks for watching!
@@InTheWoodyard Both genius, I guess :-)
@@InTheWoodyard Tip to hold down roffing iron from switzrland. every 50cm or so (lengtwise) put a longer stick that sticks out 20-30 cm front and back on the bottom layer, then stack up on top of it. Once the stack is complete, throw your roofin iron over it, drill a few holes near the edges (not to near) then rig some wire through the hole, from there all the way down, and wrapped around the edges of the protruding sticks, front and back. As the wood pile diminishes, adapt the lenght of wire, you can also remove it during summer, it's very sturdy and doesn't fly off even in mountain storms, it's the wheight of the whole woodpile holding the roof down, even a knee high wood pile is over 100kg, way more than enough as anchorage
I use e.p.d.m. a synthetic rubber from commercial reroof job cast offs. It is free and will last a lifetime. Also it would only end up in a landfill. No sharp edge to cut one either. It heats up in the sun so probably aids in convection too. One can size it with a pair of scissors or glue pieces together to get the size needed.
Thanks for the tip Leo, some one else told me about that stuff awhile back!
Holy buckets, 550 face cords in your yard! 14 full cords in our yard at the moment, between halloween & thanksgiving we usually go w corrugated sheet metal to keep the snow off, otherwise it’s uncovered most of the year. Keep the splits small and it dries pretty well uncovered, IMO.
Yes, a bunch of people cover their wood late in the year to keep snow off and prevent the wood from becoming woodsicles!
Home owner cutting my own wood.
I’m tarping
BUTT WRONG
Completely covering w plastic tarps in my diy wooden storage frames.
I will now get a heavy clear roll of plastic. Then cut my own to size just covering top.
Great video
Thanks
You can do it!
This year i stacked 5 full cord of wood under my carport, it gets sunlight on the sides and plenty of air flow all around. I also stacked about 8 face cord next to the carport which i will cover on top. I stack the wood on pallets then place pallets on top of the stacks, place flat boards on the pallets then cover that with tarps and place old tires on top to hold the tarps in place. The tarps keep rain and snow off the wood and the pallets on top allow air flow across the top of the wood. Its not pretty but it works.
Jeff it sounds good to me, your car port/wood shed is a good idea. Plus, your fire wood is much more important than a car anyway! HA!
@@InTheWoodyard Yep, the firewood and my Tractors. :)
I leave my wood uncovered in the summer time to season faster I only cover what wood I will be burning in the winter time so it will stay dry. I also bring wood inside my garage by my wood furnace so it can worm up and make sure it gets s dry I get better heat results with dry firewood and it seem to burn a little slower.
Kevin - exactly! I agree!
Hi Chris!!😀😀
Most of the time I haven't covered my wood and I usually don't have the moisture soak in. Last week I came across a large used tarp and it leaked through and froze my pile all the way to the bottom. It seems like if I don't cover it. After it rains with in a couple days the rain water will evaporate off and dosen't soak in. With the tarp that leaked last year it seemed to let the water in but never let it evaporate out. I had more trouble last year with the wood being frozen together than any other year when I didn't cover it at all.
Take care my friend!!😀 TTYL!!
Yup, a leaky tarp is a bad thing! I hate wood sickles.
I'm so glad I came across you on CZcams. Your so informative and know so much about firewood. I burn wood as a primary heat source and just bought my first new saw and have many places around me here in Kentucky that I can cut firewood from where loggers have logged the mountains. My question is can I cut this year's green wood and store it or somehow get it seasoned enough to burn this winter, good enough to put out good heat? I'm now subscribed and watching as many of your videos as I can cause I'm learning something from everyone I've watched so far. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, I know it takes time and effort to make these but from what I'm seeing your not afraid of a little hard work.
Thanks so much Denton! If I was you I would try to cut trees that have been dead and or down for a while and then split them down small so they can dry as fast as possible. Think wrist size or maybe even limb wood ...splitting and stacking in a sunny open area is key , no shade. Good luck!
@@InTheWoodyard thanks
@@InTheWoodyard yea the wood I cut is mostly tops of trees that's been logged and left behind. Our hills are full of them, just gotta ask permission from land owner and once that's approved it's free wood, mainly hardwood and been on the ground at least a year or even longer. Most of it is good sized wood but alot of round wood too that doesn't need busted 😁
When I stack my wood into the woodshed in spring it is down to 8-10% moisture by the fall . Now at the woodlot where I stack my extra wood ,I only cover the tops off the ground on pallets
What kind of wood and is it green when you cut and split it and where do you live, all of those things are factors to the speed of drying. Thanks for watching David!
I live in eastern Ontario Canada,, we burn oak, ash,elm,popular,maple, beach. We are giving the fresh cut trees but I have so mush it usually takes me a couple years before I get around to splitting it. Right now I am doing wood from a tree cut in late November 2019
great vid use old pool walls free on craigslist all the time cut to size with an angle grinder last for years
Yes, there is a lot of free things that work well!
I put bark pieces bark up on top and then only cover it when it starts to snow
That is a good idea Mario!
I cover just the top with recycleed rubber roof cut 24"x 10' strips the stuff is great and I can just roll it up set it a side till I need to use it again
That sounds like good stuff!
I like to cure my stovewood for 2 yr, or at least, 2 summers. I have a wood storage shed where my split wood is stored for the 2 years. It has one east facing open side and a 1" gap between the vertical side boards on the other three sides. But now, I'm wondering if storing the wood completely outside and exposed to the elements and the sun might be even better?! I have already split my wood for burning in two years and have stacked it up outside, fully exposed. I have a storage area inside the house where I move the wood to in the autumn. I think with this wood, I'll bring it inside a little earlier, perhaps the end of August, to allow for all the superficial moisture to evaporate before burning. I'm excited to see how this pile of red oak will burn at that point.
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR BETTER OR MORE EFFICACIOUS WAYS OF GETTING THE JOB DONE!
Good ideas Steve! Thanks for watching!
I haven't covered my wood in years I use the natural bark to cover it I flip all my cuts bark down all the way up too the last two or three rows on top I face the bark up the bark on top works as a water barrier and the rain rolls off I live north of you so if it works here it will work there
Okay!
Same as you, I kid you not.😁 Lumber yard tarps cut to size, weighted with junks and best of all, they’re free. Also, like you, the tarps are only used for the winter months.
Have thought about building a nice wood shelter, thinking it would look better. However, sheltering 12 cords in one block is not ideal for seasoning.
Yes and yes! I agree!
8' x 16' crib. galvanized sloped roof. No walls. I heat with firewood and have my own home depot splitter and neighboring forest. I used to open-air. But it just boiled in the wood stove for a while. Always damp. Now this stuff is absolutely bone dry, single piece of cardboard will light it. It also seasons for 2 years give or take.
Very nice! Sounds like a good set up, nothing like dry wood!
I have heard that if your plastic or tarp is flat down on your wood pile the moisture condensates on the bottom of the plastic and drips back down into your wood pile they say leave a space at the top .
Yes, I would agree with that, if your wood is fresh cut green wood, I don't cover my wood for many months to allow as much sun and wind to hit it as possible. My wood at the time of covering is probably 70-90% dry already.The main reason I cover it is to keep the snow off.
It’s definitely best to keep it dry. Most airflow is key for sure. A lot of people don’t know that. If you have the crown of the word facing towards the sky, the water won’t penetrate to the center. But if the opposite side is up, it will hold water. imagine it like a drinking glass works similar.
Yup, I agree!
@yourdaddy5630
How do I identify the ‘crown’, please and thank you ?
@@tiptopgirl4124 look at the end of the piece of Splitwood. You will see the rings the rounded part should be facing towards the sky. That way the outer most part of the tree wood works similar to a roof shedding water. Or imagine the tree ring like the St. Louis arch.
@@tiptopgirl4124 when the tree is cut, it exposes the rings. After you split it turns the rings into arches. in order to keep the wood dry and keep it from holding water stacking with the arch center facing up. Similar to the St. Louis arch or McDonald’s. same thing with building any wooden structure outside. If you look at the end of the board, you will see the rings of the tree. If you do not place with the correct side, facing up, it will be more likely to hold water, bend, warp, and twist..
Like you I cover just the top of my stacks, come late fall early winter. Nothing worse than wood that is frozen together!
You got that right! WOODSICLES!
The two times I covered my firewood (thinking it was a good idea), I had red squirrels move in underneath. They built nests and stogged all the nooks and crannies full of pine cones, making a helluva dusty mess...open air works fine.
I cover mine late in the fall before the snow.
good call, by then the squirrels would be settled in somewhere else for the winter...but that would only work if the wood was being seasoned for one year only, or otherwise the cover would have to be removed in the spring and 'til the following late fall.
I do not cover my wood in the stack where it is drying. It is in a wide-open location exposed to the Kansas wind and sun. The stack by the house that I pull to burn from I cover when it snows so that it is not a frozen block of snow and ice. But as soon as it stops snowing and drifting, I remove the tarp. Wind and Sunshine we have lots of here, and wood dries fast under those conditions.
Yup, you has a great plan, let the elements do their work on the wood!
I learned the hard way with my first small stack of wood. Covered it completely with a tarp and 7 months later the entire thing is caked in green mold. Currently building a ventilated wood shed, but now I'm wondering if it's worth the effort to keep the elements (except wind) away from the logs).
Just cover the top with a tarp/metal/plastic, you do not NEED a shed.
And I thought 175 was alot I have some green house plastic 5 years old still like new . The plastic gives it greenhouse effect and dries faster also have lots of tin
Green house plastic, good idea, I'll check it out!
Covering the top helps I think..
I keeps majority of the rain off but it helps hold the heat in also
Air flow on the sides is very important.
Japan here. I do half and half. Always have 20
Cords on hand.
I let mine breath for most of the year, and cover before the snow piles up. Thanks for watching!
Frozen wood is not a bad thing. Water expands and does its thing in the seasoning process. A big creaking wood stack from water expanding in the splits really helps dry that wood out from the inside out.
If ur selling it in winter months probably good idea but if just for an outside boiler and just letting it season probably don't have to is my thought. If inside stove probably good idea also so dries faster when brought in
You are right, I sell all of my wood so I want to deliver it dry and ready to burn, wet wood and or green wood does not get many repeat customers!
Since I sell wood from March to mid September I haven't needed to cover my wood stacks. Plus I tend to sell out every Year so far..
That's because your smarter than me Daniel, you save yourself all that extra work!
I just started doing wood in the beginning of this year and have noticed that wood that was uncovered for 6 months since March is completely Seasond and dry and ready to burn.
Yup, sun, wind and time is all it takes!
My main wood supply is a single row alongside the house, we have a big overhang from the roof so I don't have to cover it or anything!
That's what I do at my house too.
Have a woodshed filled with predried wood. Dryer 2years ,stacked single row covered with used conveyor belt. Take care.
Sounds like a good set up, dry wood is good! Thanks for watching Bruce.
Great video!!! Learn a lot from your video indeed.... I have a question.. why does my wood keep having ants termites as I'm trying to let it season for a year or for a season ???
Make sure it is off the ground and on pallets, maybe 2 layers, and in the sun as much as possible , wind and sun will help. If you cover it before it dries it can rot too.
@@InTheWoodyard ooooh ok... Thanks for your reply!!! I was binge watching your videos while splitting wood 🪵🪓 😂
one wood is below its grain saturation point it is hard for it to get wet agen. thats why after a rain, only the outside of wood is wet inside is dry. as wood drys the grain cells shrink and below 30 percent they cant expand agen they permanently have shrunk. Wi has generally 2 humidity lvs in dryed wood summer its around 15 to 17 percent equal Librium and winter ive seen it down to 9 percent. due to our low winter humidity. another good video tho. i myself dont tarp till fall. cuz yes breaking a frozen log pile apart sucks.
Yup, good points!
I'm new to wood burning. Only very recently installed a wood stove and im trying to get ready for my first winter this coming year. Could an argument be made that it would be best to leave it uncovered through the summer and then cover it about a month before you intend to burn it? Kind of the best of both worlds?
YES! yes! and Yes! Good one, let the wind and sun work!
I store my wood in a covered carport (like they sell on the side of the road), because I have the space and more importantly, the ground under there stays dry. We only get snow 2-3 times a year and it rarely stays around long, so no problem there. From what I have read, wood like oak that dries slowly also is the most resistant to absorbing water. The only wood I have uncovered is my emergency wood that is about a face cord that I keep near the house in case of snow. It is always oak that has been seasoned for at least two years and it is always dry except the very edges like you showed. I see a great deal of people in the South that never cover their wood, but then many of those folks are fairly poor and tarps are all being used to keep the roof from leaking. Just kidding, I thought yo might enjoy a little self-deprecating Southern humor.
HA! Sounds a lot like the UP of Michigan! As far as wicking moisture from the ground white oak and it's family like burr oak do not wick moisture much at all that's why it was used in ship building for wooden boats back in the old days. Red oak an it's family wick moisture tremendously!
I have 8 face chords, 1 of which i keep tarped just over the top whenever there is 50% chance of rain. So i do remove the tarp otherwise. The rest are not covered. All hardwoods. I have limited sunshine exposure here, I'm mostly wooded with two face chords getting about 6 hrs sunshine per day if/when the sun shines.
Al long as you only cover the top you can leave the tarp on year round.
PVC corrugated roofing panels. Light, waterproof, corrugations allow air flow. Put something heavy at the top for wind and that's it. :)
Yup, that sounds good too!
Stack on pallets in round form with top sloped like a roof covered tarps on top only
yup, that would work too.
I let some of mine catch rain to slow down the burn time and sometimes I don't need that blazing hot
Okay!
I dry hardwood in open shelter,but here in Ireland,heavy driving rain almost always hits bottom of my stack,about a metre high.Is this a problem at seasoning firewood?
Drier is better. Especially so if you do not ever get completely dry on the bottom with rain hitting it...maybe an overhang that is wider??
I stack my firewood in racks under my covered porch on the back side of the house, one line down the the outside on the concrete between the support posts that are spaced 8 feet apart. Then in racks under the eve of the porch on racks. Because rain can blow in under the eves, I cover that row with some camo tarps. Keeps my neighbors from knowing how much firewood I have on hand. The porch is 40' long by 12' wide. Still plenty of room for my work cabinets, chainsaw storage, electric wood splitter, manual 10 ton splitter, and parking for my motorscooter. I like to store two full 40' runs as I will go through 1 run on a normal winter, so I always have a green run and a dry run! I furnish a wood heater in our basement and usually only run it continuously for a couple of weeks during the winter. On marginal days we only feed it at night, just to keep the chill off the basement. Have been doing this for 40 years now. But it took around 25 years work into the system I have now. It works well for me. I got a 5 acre woodlot and mostly cut dead or dying trees. But now am getting too old to do all that cutting and hauling...thank goodness I got some rebate money so I bought a couple of cords this year...already split...just need to stack it! Best of luck to you!
Sounds like you have a good system!
@@InTheWoodyard it works for our needs! 😉
Wood will stil dry in the winter because of low humidity sucking out moisture even if it is frozen. Ice cubes left for a few months in the freezer will shrink from loss of moisture.
Yes, good point!
Hey Chris thanks for the video.
What would you suggest if the only place I have to stack wood is in a low lying area which would get some sun and with minimal wind? I'd like your opinion. Thank you.
The best place for wood to dry is in the open on a hill so the sun and wind can hit it. But if you only have a low area, be sure to get it off the ground as much as you can. Maybe double pallets... that is what I would do and stack it as high as you can to catch any wind too! Good luck Chet!
@@InTheWoodyard thanks Chris
@@chetusher444 You are welcome!
Is some 5mil plastic just on top, or whatever you got going on good enough, same in winter?
Yup, that will work, black seems to be better. But only cover the top and be sure the water runs off and does not pool up and make ponds.
I leave mine open all summer than when the fall rains start I cover them so they are dry and unfrozen in the winter
You are not just another pretty face Mike! You are a smart man too!
it sounds like it would make sense to cover the wood around the first frost of the year and then un cover after the last frost
I just want to keep the snow off.
what about covering the ends? I find if mine ends get wet they don't burn well
Wood needs to breath a little rain will not hurt it and as long as it is off the ground on pallets it should dry fast and stay dry. I only cover the top before the snow comes.
I have modified those cheap shed in a box frames and put metal roofs on them instead of a tarp.
That is a good idea!
Hi Chris, Maybe I'm losing it, but if you look at frame 2:18 of this video, right in the middle of the screen there is a tiny figure in the middle of the shot looking up to where you are pointing. The image appears to be wearing a bonnet. I used to be a professional video editor. We notice everything on the screen. I tend to offer critique of movies in real time. Irritates my wife to no end! LOL ;-)) shalom/gw
Yes I saw it! Good eye!
Well how do you keep the wind from blowing off the plastic cover ,,even with wood weight ,,,,especially in storms
Just fine.
@@InTheWoodyard😆
Chris - Could you post a link to your advertisements?
I'm going to do a video about it soon. But you can go to craigslist Appleton-Fox valley and see it live now it's under firewood and is on the fourth row and the title says- Oak Firewood - FREE Local Delivery.
I only cover my wood in the winter to keep the snow off
That makes sense to me.
My wood gets covered prior to me burning it,late autumn into late winter and while burning it.
Yup, that is good!
All that split wood sure is straight.. Mine's all crooked and knotted. I have Sugar Maple and Black Locust. My Walnut & American beech is split straight. Mine is uncovered along a chain link fence pointing West and East.. I'll cover it with a cheap blue tarp come fall. Last year I didn't have that much and I put it in a metal shed.
I cover all mine in the fall too, gotta keep the snow off of it!
I cover just the tops just before it snows and take them off now and then.
yup!